Just Like a Shooting Star
by Vulpixi Misa
Summary: For TwilitWolfLink's Pairing Contest. Won first place! ..Ness x Dawn.. She just popped into my life one day.


Entry for TwilitWolfLink's Pairings Contest. I actually had this idea from Pikana's contest but I never got around to writing it. So yeah... Go ahead guys, read. Oh, and again, Dawn is not _the_Pokemon Trainer, but she _is_ one. Despite what Ness says.

Thanks to my Hasukerz onee-chan for beta-reading this. =w=

* * *

She just popped into my life one day.

And quite literally too.

I don't really remember what day or month or year it was, but I can never forget the moment I met Pokemon Trainer Dawn.

Ah, I haven't introduced myself, sorry about that. My name is Ness, just your average boy who had saved the world from the madness of an emotionally disturbed alien. Yeah, that was a while ago but now a days I just hang out with the people enrolled in the Smash Brothers tournament. My favorite past time is taking long bike rides and I occasionally play baseball, but only because I like to swing my bat at things.

But back to Dawn again. The girl is a pokemon trainer, so she says. There's already another pokemon trainer in the Smash Brothers tournament so I wasn't really sure why they allowed her to join. Especially since she wasn't even enrolled or invited in the first place.

She tells us that she defeated the leader of Team Galactic and that she did battle with Palkia. She also said that she saved the three Pokemon of Emotions and that was how she came to the Smash Brothers base. After releasing the red thread on the three legendaries, they teleported her here and the rest anyone can figure out.

I don't know if those three pokemon thought it was funny or something but teleporting a girl into a battlefield against serious fighters was not very amusing. And it was even less amusing when one of said fighters was yours truly. I remember I was ready to put up a PK Magnet to absorb one of Mario's Fireballs when the girl appeared out of thin air and landed right on top of me. Needless to say I lost that match; even though it really should have been postponed due to the disturbance.

Apparently, Uxie, Mesprit and Azelf channeled their powers to the next greatest psychic energy source after they were released and that just happened to be me. Why it couldn't have been Lucas or even Mewtwo (where ever he is now), I do not know. Heck, I could name a bunch of people who have greater psychic powers than I and those pokemon just decided to choose me to drop a girl on.

After that, Dawn made herself at home and introduced herself to everyone. She's a perky girl and reminds me a little of my sister when she gets her favorite food. But unlike my sister, Dawn hasn't learned what personal space means. I don't know if it's just me that she likes to stick around but every time I'm not doing something important she's always hanging off my shoulder.

Like that one time I was catching up on the last volume of one of my favorite series. I was leisurely lounging on the plush leather couch when the girl walked by, stopped and tried to take a peak of my manga, even though it's impossible to read it from how she was standing. Instead, she looked at the cover (which I wonder why she did not just do in the first place) and asked me what it was about. I explained to her the basic plot and she looked a little disappointed but interested at the same time. She could have just left it there and allowed me to continue reading but she sat down next to me and asked if she could read along, even though I'm far into the series. I let her read with me even though it was awkward with the timing of the page turning. It was also the first time a girl was that close to me for long periods of time.

Not that that was the only thing I remembered about that time, honest.

By the end of the volume, Dawn asked if she could possibly borrow the rest of the series. Of course, I said yes. It's always nice to share something you enjoy with others but then I soon came to realize there were just some things you don't want to let other people know.

After that, Dawn would drop by my place to return and borrow more books. And every chance she got she would talk about certain things that happened and she would go into detail to analyze the character development. I mean, I love the series and all, but really, it's just a story. The most disturbing thing I found was how she thought the two main characters made a cute couple. The protagonists were both guys.

I'm not sure if she knew that it weirded me out but she continuously talked about it. Eventually she got it in her head that the two main characters were secretly already gay for each other. She even asked me if they did anything that might constitute as "suggestive" in later volumes. I wasn't sure how to answer that.

I'm not a homophobe, really. I don't mind the whole gay marriage and lesbians thing. It's just the idea of having to talk about two fictional characters and their even more fictional romantic relationship that made me wonder why I'm even talking about it. But Dawn, oh Dawn, she talked about it as if that was her only entertainment. No, not just entertainment, it's practically her life source.

Pokemon Trainer Dawn? No, more like Yaoi Fangirl Dawn. I swear, sometimes I wonder if she remembers that she's supposed to be in a tournament to win a title. Well, I forget that too sometimes when I'm with her, but her whole presence seemed to throw my thinking into a loop.

Oh yeah, the whole personal space thing? Yeah, it wasn't just reading manga over my shoulder. She also loved to back-seat-game me while I'm playing even the simplest games. Maybe she takes advantage of my short anatomy but she likes leaning on me. I could be eating a bowl of Cheerios and she would rest an arm on my hat just to say "Good Morning!"

I tried asking her about it (the personal space thing) but she just shrugged it off and told me to move the unit to that space. After doing what she told me to do (which happened to be a pretty good move after all) I asked if she had any other friends. Maybe she bothered them as much as she did me?

"Friends? Like, here or at home?"

"Either."

"Well, I guess I can call Barry a friend but sometimes I wonder about that guy. Lucas… Well, he's a nice boy but I barely know him."

"I thought you got along with Lucas?"

"Hm? Oh, no, I have another Lucas back at home. The Lucas here is… well, I guess it's the same. He's a good boy but I don't really know him."

"Mmm."

"And here, well, the girls are nice to me. The pokemon are pretty cool too. And I talk to Red sometimes."

"Uh-huh."

"Ah, watch out for that guy, he has a Knight Killer."

So apparently I'm her best friend here? I don't know when she decided that but I can't say the feeling is mutual. My best friends are probably the ones back at home. Not that I don't have friends here, I hang out with Lucas, Red and the other kids occasionally. Dawn? Well, she's in there somewhere.

We must have been sitting pretty close on the couch because the adults that walk by would poke fun at us. Dawn would flush bright red and pull her hat over her eyes but I just ignored it. This wasn't the first time I've had something like that happen. I don't see why a guy and a girl can't just be really close friends without anything going on between them. Back then, I'm sure everyone (including my friend Jeff!) thought Paula and I were together. I mean, sure, I saved the girl and we were running around towns beating up things that jumped at us. That's what lovely young couples did. Sure. Well, no one knew about the whole "destined to meet and save the future" thing but I don't think that would have changed their minds.

Anyway, Dawn. Well, she's obviously different from the other girls I've met. I'm too used to girls like Tracy and Paula. Compared to Paula, she actually speaks her mind and never seems to shut up about it. Tracy can be a little know-it-all sometimes but Dawn seems to want to know everything. Peach and Zelda? Well, Dawn isn't a princess, but even so she's not mature like Zelda or motherly like Peach. Samus? …I can't really compare a girl to Samus, but Dawn is so whacky in contrast with Samus's serious nature.

She asked if I had other hobbies. I told her I liked bike riding and she seemed to glow and she went on about how she had a bike that can go at two different speeds. She also suggested that we go on bike rides together. I told her "sure" even though I prefer to ride alone. It's something I did when I wanted to clear my mind.

I was going to ask about her hobbies, just to be polite, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to have my ear talked off about her collection of written fanfiction she had written for several series. I did ask and surprisingly, she didn't talk too much. I even asked if she wrote about the two guys in the manga we read and she just snorted at me as if saying "hell yeah." I don't remember volunteering to read some of her things but I did and they weren't too bad.

She hasn't toned down on that slashing stuff one bit. She even started slashing some of the people at the tournament and even wrote about that. I couldn't look at some people the same way ever again thanks to her. I can never tell her that I don't really care about things like that but seeing how involved she is in her things I can't help but think I would be ruining her dreams. However creepy her dreams may be, that's just something you don't do. And she seemed to be getting so much joy in having me critique her work and leave feedback.

After finishing another piece of her work that involved a pair of characters in an alternate universe, I realized all her stories had something in common. Well, besides the fact that the majority of them involved homosexual pairings but there was also the genre that they all shared. They were all romance stories. Me stating the genre might be a little redundant since I already said there were gay couples involved but it's _always_ focused on confused feelings, love confessions and sometimes the occasional smut.

I'm sure that reading was always a good thing, as it builds vocabulary, grammar and stuff like that, but after going through all of Dawn's writings I think I lost a few brain cells. If there was some plot line, perhaps an adventure, a mystery or even a theme in the story that reflects on actual life maybe it wouldn't be so bad and I might even look forward to her writing. But no, it's all about love triangles and regret of unspoken words.

"You must be an expert on this romance stuff, huh?"

"What?"

"Since you write so much about it, you must know the ins and outs of relationships."

"Oh. Haha, well actually…"

"…"

"Yeah, I've never had a boyfriend before. Most of the stuff is from research."

"Research being?"

"Ahaha, dramas and other romance novels?"

"…"

"Well, it's mostly wishful thinking on my part, but it's all for fun, don't worry about it."

"You know, relationships aren't-"

"Blah blah blah, I know Ness, relationships aren't going to turn out as beautiful or simple as in the fictions, but I'm a romantic, let me dream."

"…What about the guy on guy stuff? Don't tell me you really wish you were a guy and want to date a guy."

"Oh that stuff? Nah, I just think it's hot."

I was playing a game on my DS when Dawn dropped a soda in my lap and took a seat next to me, sipping her own drink. I guess I've gotten used to her self-invitations but it's still unnerving to have someone constantly by your side.

"Hey Ness! I just finished volume 12!"

"Uh-huh. Did you want the next volume?"

"Sure, that would be great! I'm so glad that you have all of them right now because it would really suck to have to wait months to have them translate it."

"Yeah, well, I had to wait months."

"Oh, oops, hehe. Ah, thanks again for the book."

"No problem."

"Ness?"

"Yes?"

"Do I annoy you?"

"…"

"…"

"Dawn, I-"

"Okay, I'll return this when I'm done, okay?"

"S…sure…"

It was always a bad idea to hesitate on an answer, because "no comment" is sometimes worse than a straight out answer. The thoughts that ran through my head at that moment were not definite answers though, and that was probably why I couldn't tell her anything. I wasn't sure myself if I liked having her around. Sure, she talks about the weirdest things ever, even though I thought we were on the same topic. And there was always that condescending thing she does that was probably unintentional but I don't like having her hover over me just because we're built differently.

But I've never had anyone stick around me for so long because they wanted to. (Paula, Jeff and Poo? Well, we had the future to save and we were chosen. I think we should get along, for the sake of our world, you know?) She seemed to have genuine interest in the series we read and everything else that I do. All the questions she asked about me, she remembered the answers to all of them. And after a few bike rides together, I guess it wasn't too bad to speed through the streets with someone else by your side.

She might not be the first person I'll call on when I want something but she was always there, and I guess that counted for something.

The next time I saw her (when she returned the book) I apologized and told her that "no, you don't annoy me." She nodded and told me that it was okay and that the question was stupid and she shouldn't have even asked it in the first place. Thinking that it was really okay, I allowed her to leave it at that. I didn't even realize she didn't ask me for the next book until a few days later when things changed.

I was sitting outside, challenging myself to a rather difficult Professor Layton puzzle. And when I realized I could hear myself think, I suddenly realized something was off. I haven't seen much of Dawn at all after that last book. When I would see her, she would just give me a small wave and disappear again. At dinner, she sat with the pokemon but she didn't talk to them. I asked several of my friends if they knew what was wrong with Dawn and they all just stared at me.

After getting no reply, I left investigation to my own hands. I chose to hang out in the places I know Dawn would normally show up at. She never arrived. I asked the other females if they had noticed any changes or if they knew other places she would be at. Samus didn't seem to know much but Peach and Zelda just gave me angry glares. Peach even told me that I should fix the problem by myself. I don't even know what the problem is!

I had to reform my plan. I had to confront her personally.

Or not, because I decided I didn't really want to bother her if she really was avoiding me as I thought. Instead, I sent Red to ask her what was wrong. I figure that as a fellow pokemon trainer, he would be able to get to her. When he came back, he told me that nothing seemed too out of the ordinary with Dawn, except maybe she looked like she was missing some one.

Missing someone? Ah, of course! Home-sickness! She did come here without any notice. She must miss her family back at home. It was not as if the tournament was secluded from other worlds, but she must not know how to contact her home. I know the feeling a little too well, so I can sympathize with her. If I could reach her family, I'm sure Dawn will be back to normal. After all, moms always made everything better.

"Dawn!"

"Ness?"

"Here."

"A… cellphone?"

"Yeah, it's for you."

I left her with her mother and when I saw her again, she did look a little better. She even started borrowing my books again. I was sure she was back to the chatty girl who used to hang around me.

I was wrong again. Even though she still came by occasionally, I noticed she stopped talking about her slash fiction. She blamed it on writers block but I didn't think so.

It was very suspicious how she didn't get a reaction to when Captain Falcon was helping Pit lift heavy boxes. Or when Link was teaching Marth how to use a bow and arrow and were close enough that even I raised an eyebrow. Dedede and Bower were fighting over the rights to a piece of cake and the girl didn't even mention "angry hate-sex." I even tripped Red on purpose so that he would land on Lucas (if Lucas didn't catch him first, of course) and she didn't say anything.

I'm pretty sure this was not a side effect of home-sickness. I also did not know how to solve this dilemma since the "mother" option had already been used. I thought back on all the things she told me, even to get a small clue to fix things.

"Dawn."

"Yeah?"

"Go out with me."

I think several Flying Men died afterwards when she just stared at me with her big, round blue eyes. I was also sure my face was as red as the cap that sat on my head but there was no turning back, I already said it.

"W-what?"

"A date, I'm asking you out on a date."

And then I started freaking out when she burst into tears. I was supposed to fix things not make things worse! I never did do well with girls, agh.

After the initial outburst, she calmed down and took my hand into hers. I could feel a few tears drip onto the back of my hand but I was too busy looking at her face, more specifically the same doe eyes she gave me before but much happier this time. She nodded then smiled at me and suddenly I was smiling too.

"They weren't wrong after all."

"Who?"

"Uxie, Azelf, Mesprit."

"The Pokemon of Emotions? What did they do?"

"They told me that I would find him here."

"Him?"

"The one, the person who my fate would intertwine with."

"Uh-huh…"

"Haha, nevermind Ness, that suddenly reminds me of another plot bunny I thought of."

* * *

Yup. Ness x Dawn. Or something. I had this idea for a while now and I wanted to write it for Pikana's contest (which is over now btw, but that's okay). I actually didn't think it would come out at all since it was a little vague but here it is!

Ness, Ness, Ness. …I think I made him a little… cynical? I'm not sure if that's the word for it but he sounds like a meanie. That's not how I would really picture Ness, he's a good boy. Also a good quiet boy, so he's as personality-less as Red, Dawn, Leaf, Mario, Link, Pit, etc. etc. etc.

I'm really upset by what I did with Dawn. If anyone has noticed, this is game!Dawn, not anime!Hikari in which she has her own personality. I feel more like I used her name as a self insert rather than give her a personality. 8C I mean, I was kind of basing this off my second story in Five Different Lives (in which she and Ness get a small mention but I'm totally not pimping out my own fic, no way.)

Anyway, there was a small hiatus from halfway through the story so if the style seemed to have changed then you know who to blame it on. Or something. And I wrote the second half on the train ride back to school, it was early and I was tired.

Also, I think Ness likes bike riding because his icon looks so happy when you get a bike in Twoson. The MOTHER heroes were fated to pick up an object to hit things with (except for Ninten, he just hits things with his hand) so just because Ness's first weapon was a cracked bat I don't necessarily think he plays baseball.


End file.
